Lazy Hurricane Sandy Monday

Lazy Hurricane Sandy Monday.  Can't get to work, and while the power is still on, I figure I'd post some fun interactive graphics websites before I start my Hurricane to-do list of  "manicure, read my Justin Timberlake/Jessica Biel wedding issue of People, nap, and eat junk food".  All have been brought to you by: How About Orange


kern me: rely on your knowledge of common fonts to fix the kerning issues...its more fun when you battle against someone who cares about typography as much as you do


fontstruct: build and download your own fonts

color: try to match the color perfectly...harder than you think


scribbler tool: create cool hipster art in seconds


nicole's classes: I'm always looking for tutorials to broaden my photoshop/illustratot/inDesign/etc. knowledge...and she has a bunch of free ones!

Lazy Sunday, Lazy Sunday

I haven't posted in almost 4 months, AHHHH!!!  And I come back to a complete redesign of Blogspot!  Hopefully I can get the hang of this...

Anyway, my summer has been filled with weddings, traveling, beaches, wineries, camping, tubing (and freezing) down the Delaware river, fresh delicious foods & bbq's, and seeing lots and LOTS of friends!  (Very happy about the amount/quality of friends we've been able to see lately!)  Exhausting, but I really can't complain as we're living the good life!

Now that summer is coming to an end :( and the fall depression will start to set in, I am finally experiencing my first "Lazy" Sunday since about May.

On the agenda:
1.) New fall clothes
2.) NOT having all of these bug bites to scratch constantly.  My legs are COVERED!
3.) Football season!  Just drafted my Fantasy Football team yesterday
4.) Still scouring condos in Hoboken and hopefully purchasing one so I can finally stop commuting 4 hours a day.
5.) Breaking out ye old crock pot
6.) Finally finishing all the photo editing of all the fun we've been having this summer.  I am MONTHS behind!

Here's a small glimpse of the summer.


My brother's "When Life Gives You Lemons Party" in DC, complete with summer cocktails, TONS of delicious BBQ, visiting with some old college friends, roof-top-deckery, and drawing pictures with my niece.


My gorgeous 2 year old niece (and dad)...growing up so fast


She wanted a green house with yellow shutters, and 4 dogs and a dog house, with palm trees, by the beach...very demanding for a 2 year old


Summer birthdays at the beach!


Friends from faraway places


And of course, LOTS of eating!

Summer Polish Lineup

With the addition of my blues, "I Need a Refresh-Mint/Menthe Fraiche" (longest name EVER.) and "Brisk Blue", I have FINALLY completed my summer nail polish lineup!  The only thing I love more than bright colors, is wearing bright colors...every...day.  Now I just have to master the art of painting my right hand with my left hand.  I guess I have all summer for that.  (Like I'm really going to stop the bright colors at summer...I think not!)


Here's the colors (from left to right)


1.) Revlon 705 - Gray Suade
2.) Jersey Girl - Wild Thing*
3.) Revlon 570 - Vixen
4.) Revlon 210 - Electric Pink
5.) Jersey Girl - Beach Baby*
6.) Revlon 410 - Tangerine
7.) Revlon 560 - Zealous
8.) Wet n Wild Megalast - I Need a Refresh-Mint/Menthe Fraiche
9.) Sally Hanson Insta-Dry 430 - Brisk Blue


*Matt Colors

Car-Buying-Decision-Making Process

We've been having a never-ending "Car-Buying-Decision-Making Process of 2011/2012/Possibly 2013"...Partially because cohabitant (aka: boyfriend) and I are not seeing eye-to-eye on what we want in a car, and partially because we can't decide on which lifestyle we want to gravitate toward, aka: SUV or Sedan. We both agree that it needs to be reliable, decent on gas mileage, and sexy, yet we have different takes on what makes a car "sexy" design-wise.

I want sleek and stylish, with an unnecessary yearning to have a small SUV and not too many frills. Think: new VW Jetta, BMW 328i, Audi A4, Infiniti, and now I'm just getting carried away with cars I can never justify buying. I spent around $7,000 on my first car, a 1997 Toyota Celica and I still drive it today. Regardless of the lack of air conditioner, and cramped interior for passengers, it still drives perfectly!

He wants an innovative design with all the bells and whistles, aka: clown car....Okay, so he doesn't really want a clown car, but only cars that appear HIDEOUS/Tacky to me! Think: Mini Cooper Countryman, or any Mini for that matter, Smart Cars, Hybrids. (I really can't disagree with the Hybrids, but the massing of them turns me off.)

This is one of the times when we are at a disadvantage because of our design knowledge, so I made him this graphic to help persuade him to see it my way! Thinking he would be mad at me for my unrelenting hatred of the Countryman, he actually found it quite comical!

Me Too Line Up

Can you tell I like "Me Too" Shoes!?

These are the most comfortable, durable, cute shoes I own. I've had the pink leather flats and camel suede wedges since college...almost 4 years ago!

Cabin Fever Camera Experiments

Boy who I live with...and kinda like...just a little...;) okay, a lot, decided to jump on the DSLR train a few weeks ago. I've had a Canon EOS XSi since graduating from grad school in 2009...and he has slowly been monopolizing it. When he realized that he wanted to do video (which the XSi does not have), the "Great-Camera-Selection-Saga-of-2012" began! As he was secretly researching behind my back after I was asleep, I was only consulted for the final selection which came down to a Canon EOS 7D or 5D....with the final rose being awarded to the 7D! (Sorry for the bad Bachelor reference, but I couldn't resist.) Anyway, back to the saga...after many trips to all of the local camera stores in our area resulting in testing, purchasing, returning, and exchanging various equipment...I can now say that we are the proud commandants of an army of lenses, (including a macro lens which is my favorite) tripods, filters, bags, flashes (okay, only 1 flash), chargers, memory cards, batteries, etc, etc, etc. I am glad that he stuck with a Canon so we can share just about all of the new stuff he added to our camera artillery. Bonus for me!)

We have been setting up still-life's in our house and trying to get out of the house as much as possible to take pictures and learn about all of our new stuff. I've had my camera for 3 years and honestly haven't learned ANY of the technical aspects of it. I've always taken my photos based on "feel", not technical knowledge, so now is my chance to learn. Here are a few snaps:

Shot with my new Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro...still trying to get the hang of focusing a Macro lens

Princeton Boat House at Night, shot with Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

Canon EF 17-35mm f/2.8L or Sigma Lens

Macro lens STRIKES again! I love the watercolor vibe of this photo.

And lastly, boy who I love, setting the scene!

Dry-Erase your Entire House!

Dry erase paint...giving me visions of drawing on EVERY surface of my house!



I know there is chalkboard paint, but I can't stand chalk dust and the way it dries up my hands...If this dry-erase paint from IdeaPaint.com really does work, I will definitely have to put this into my mental file of things I have to do when I am finally not renting. It looks like it only comes in white right now, so they'll have time to develop it in colors by the time I can afford a house. Now all I need is some odorless dry erase markers, so future home will not smell like a toxic wasteland.

Sh*t Archies Say

I know there have been a lot of "Sh*t __People___ Say" videos going around lately, but this seriously is the best one!...if you're an architecture major at least. I've seriously watched it about 10 times just to relive the memories of the studio. Ahhhh, the nostalgia. Most of my very best friends today were made in the many long nights in studio bonding over late night Wendy's runs or naps in the hammock lounge...and of course some architecture here and there.

8,000 Crayons

I have a confession to make...I am addicted to Pinterest. I have seen about 1,428 projects that I want to do and about 2,186 things I want to cook/bake. One of the coolest things I have seen is the crayon art. Finally a cool way to get rid of the 8,000 crayons I've collected since I was 3. Yes, 8,000. It looked easy enough to make, so I tried it out last weekend, adding my own little twist. Here's the result...

Isn't it cool? And it only took 5 minutes!

Wine and Pantones

Over the weekend, we took a mini-trip where we explored a few quaint towns on the Delaware River. We stayed overnight at the rustic Indian Rock Inn in Upper Black Eddy, PA, which is right on the river and has been open since 1812!

(Indian Rock Inn)

We wanted to walk along the canal after we left, but alas, the 18* temperature confined us to merely watching the canal as we drove by en route to our next destination, Alba Vineyards, where we picked up our annual supply of wine.

(Alba Vineyards)

We explored downtown Frenchtown, NJ where I visited one of my favorite stores Modern Love which has a collection of modern and vintage trinkets, apparel, and in this case typewriters. We found these awesome Pantone Postcards! Hum-z has been looking for the perfect "thank-you" cards for all of the Christmas gifts we received this year, and these were right up his alley, being a graphic designer and all. I am going to have so much trouble parting with them, since I just want to plaster my wall with all of them. But hey, now I have 100 more reasons to send snail-mail. Who doesn't love snail-mail?

Pantone EXPLOOOOOSION!

Christmas Cookie Bake Fest 2011

Now that the holidays (and excuses for massive over-eating) are behind us, I can finally get back "on track", aka, a track. I didn't make a concrete New Years Resolution, except to be better...at everything...ie: design, my job, learning, cooking, being healthy(er), cleaning, friendship, exploring, blog-posting, impromptu dance-partying, etc.

But, I can't let 2011 go without sharing my cookie baking experience. This is the 2nd year that I have had cookie-bake-fest, which entails me locking myself in my kitchen for 48 hours, and of course making a huge floury, cookie doughy, confectioners sugary mess! It was great, until I had to clean it up. Special thanks to Martha Stewart for her sugar cookie and royal icing recipe.

Look at all those trees!

The setup. Of course I moved into the living room for decorating so I wouldn't miss Sunday football!

127 Cookies Later!

How much is that Paint Can in the Window?

Passed by this store window outside of Anthropologie the other day. Interesting use of paint cans.

Rolled-Up Magazine Art

http://www.ragandbone.com/blog/?p=1526

I will put this painting/sculpture by Lee Gainer in my mental file listed "Project #173 that I want to do, but probably never will." Now I finally have a meaningful way of disposing all of the magazines, catalouges, junk mail that I throw out every week.

Because I've Always Wanted a Piano Table

I am not one for buying a.) novelty furniture, or b.) any type of furniture that I can plug something into. But I am IN LOVE with this ipod/piano/table! So sleek, and it even has a convenient drawer for storing stuff, aka, piano keys. The middle flap opens up to reveal speakers for your docked iPod, while mimicking an actual grand piano. Designed by Lovegrove and Repucci, it can be yours for a mere $14,000

Photos from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gocce/3287101633/

Photo Wall ≠ Brick

Photo from: http://www.walldesigns.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Photo-Wall.jpg/

I have a blank wall in a hallway in my apartment, that I've always wanted to do something with...So out of boredom, I googled "Photo Wall" to see if any innovative ideas would come up. Nope, just a whole lotta images of brick. Not really sure how brick = photo wall, but I did get one inspiring image. Although this is not a photo wall, I really liked this city headboard. I am such a sucker for anything with a cityscape on it. I guess I should try "Accent Wall."

The Beginning of Katharine's Top (Not So) Secret Database of Everything!

One of the reasons I started a blog was because I wanted a central place to put things that I found awesome, whether it is recipes, projects, photos, tutorials, tidbits of information, clothes, videos, and the list goes on, and on, and on....and on. A central place where everything I wanted to always remember would always be. And of course I would like to give credit to all the fantastic creative individuals who have inspired me to create this database and also to create in real life.

I have so many different interests and no place to see it all, whether it is coming up with the perfect crock pot recipe, or designing my own fabric. (Yes, I have "go-to" sites for each.)

I can't tell you how many times I have remembered a recipe, or a project that I liked but couldn't remember where I found it, resulting in many hours looking through the internet history/my email to see if I could find that place again. My inbox is FILLED with links that I've sent to myself to remember certain things. Many of which, get filed away into various subfolders, never to be seen again. Hopefully, the visuals on my blog will inspire me to actually complete some of these projects.

Here's a tutorial I found at The Purl Bee via a blog I already follow, Say Yes To Hoboken, to make these sweet felt flower pillows. And as en extra bonus, the tutorial doesn't look too hard.

I love the look of big fluffy pillows with extra-large patterns and bold prints. I love that the folds in this pillow give it an extra 3-dimensionality.

Photos from http://www.purlbee.com/

Click for Tutorial

Photo-Montage-Marathon

A coworker of mine asked me to do a simple rendering for him of a home renovation he is doing to the front facade of his house. Little did I know that this would be a 3-night marathon of photoshopping. Coming home from work just to begin more work. Brings me back to my college days. But other than 3d modeling, photo montaging is one of my favorite things about architecture. I just love being able to take a vision, or in this case a sketch, and make someone else be able to understand said vision. I like (love) to Design!

Anyway, enough words, here's the goods...

Oh yah, and I finally figured out how to attach larger images. Thanks to my flickr account, there will be no more uploading small and/or pixelated images. Let there be full-bleeds! (If such a thing existed on the internet...)

Happy Fourth of July

Happy Fourth of July! (Belated of course.)

I brought these Berry Cheesecake Squares to a Fourth of July/Retirement Party and they were gobbled up in minutes! I found the recipe from this sweet new website I found, Tablespoon.com. Since they're made of pre-made pie crust, they were super easy to make! Recipe can be found here.

Bugs and Cupcakes

I made these cupcakes for my friend for her birthday last week. It all started when I wanted to get a cupcake late at night.

We drove around town hoping that one of the many cupcake shops in our town might still magically be open. No dice. Dejectedly, we came home and I whipped up a batch of these. Nothing complicated, just store-bought strawberry cupcake mix and cream cheese frosting. I did however make the effort to try and make them look pretty by making my own piping bag by cutting a hole in the end of frosting-filled plastic bag.

I took some inspiration from these bug cakes my family and I made for my niece's 1st birthday a couple months ago. We stayed up until 2am to make and decorate 32 bug cakes!

We definitely got better as the night of bug-cake-decorating progressed and learned which icings were easier to use. Some words of advice: don't use gel icing unless it is atop a solid layer of actual frosting....otherwise it sinks into the cake and makes it spongey. Lesson learned.

Some of my favorites.

The 32 bug cakes live to see another day...until they all got eaten by ravaging humans the next day.

This one is one of my favorites...I call him "Enraged Deer-tick!" Because that's not gross at all, right?.

Fun with Illustrator

I love playing around with new software, especially Adobe. Although Adobe Illustrator is not new to me, I hardly consider myself an expert. So just for funsies, I decided to experiment with the different live-trace filters just to see how they all looked next to each other. And of course, I had to use a photo of a familiar building in NYC, the Hearst Tower. Just some fun facts...It is the first high rise in NYC to achieve LEED certification and it is LEED Gold. The tower portion of the building was designed by Norman Foster (One of my favorite architects), and it was completed 80 years after the original 6-story building was built.